Daniel Amos - Horrendous Disc

1981 was a great year for Daniel Amos. First Horrendous Disc, was finally able to see the light of day after being held up in red tape and label shenanigan at Solid Rock for a number of years. Then a few weeks later they would release the first volume of the Alarma! Chronicles ... this would start a life long love for the band and the many offshoots and tangents that would follow. 

It was Horrendous Disc I picked up first, and I'll admit it was because of the association with Larry Norman and Solid Rock records. Many of my favourite artists were on this small label: Larry Norman, Randy Stonehill, and Mark Heard - so when this showed up I immediately bought it. Other than my small circle of friends who had similar taste in music no one else seemed to have heard of these bands. There were no "hits" it was word of mouth.

The cover was awesome, the insert photos were awesome - the band looked awesome. I dropped the needle and the first cut hooked me good. "I Love You #19" had a thick riff, awesome guitar work, and a killer groove. It wasn't too fast, it wasn't too slow. It was perfect.

If I'm being honest, my memory of the album and the actual experience sitting and listening now are a little out of sync. I think of this as as excellent record - make no mistake, there are some breathtaking moments here in the grooves - but I'm aware that much of my fondness is rooted in a few songs. That's what mix tapes were for, but I did spin this record - a lot. Both sides. Repeatedly, so despite my protestations to the contrary about not really liking all the songs, the evidence suggests otherwise.

Looking back on it now with the benefit of the years in between I can hear the obvious late '70s influences - which made sense as it was recorded in 1978 but at the time the seismic shift between the decades wasn't as pronounced and to me it was just a new record. What I didn't know and wouldn't find out until I played Alarma! was the Horrendous Disc already old news to the guys in the band and they'd moved on were charting a new course musically for the band.

Terry Taylor was the band's lead vocalist and main songwriter and had a way of moving between musical ideas and navigating pretty deep waters and would make it look easy. Even a seemingly throw away (it is not a throw away, I couldn't find the right words, I'm not Terry Taylor you know) like "(Near-Sighted Girl With Approaching) Tidal Wave" an odd song I equally love and scratch my head at - still. Features some wonderful lyrics.

"An older woman suddenly cried, "The tide is rising!"
And all the guys with Speedos made it first to their cars

Fine, I only included that because of the Speedo reference - it's not a pleasant image, unless I'm doing it wrong. Second, come on - it was a Speedo reference.

These were guys who'd been honing their craft and as a band they were amazing. They were pigeonholed into the "Christian" market where at the time it was rare to have well produced albums that weren't just cookie cutter re-treads of the "Jesus Loves You" song over and over. The musicianship was top shelf too. I'd be remiss if I didn't call out one of my favourite guitar players in Jerry Chamberlain. There was something about his ability to work a phrase and play the right notes that serviced the songs that just made the little hairs on my arms stand up. His playing is recognizable, and his vibrato is uniquely his. I also really liked his singing voice - it was very similar in tone to Terry's but a little sweeter. Sort of like comparing Henley and Frey to a degree. Except that Terry was prolific, and even back then DA (Daniel Amos, if that wasn't obvious) seemed like Terry's vehicle.

Most of the album plays in the adult contemporary lane that seems to be at odds with the characters on the cover. There were hints of new wave and lot of Beatlesque guitar work and harmonies throughout. The band kept the album's trump card to the end. The title track was five and a half minutes of unadulterated awesomeness. The song starts slow, builds to a crescendo and fades out with a vocal chorus David Bowie would have been proud of - this song really benefits from a really loud listen, the notes just lift off the grooves.* It is probably the song that had the most impact on me from this album.

Oddly it's the book ends "I Love You #19" and "Horrendous Disc" that have maintained a special place in my musical heart and like the tide it floats all the boats in the harbour. To that end, I sill think of Horrendous Disc as an excellent album. 

You may be wondering, "Is it really that good?" My honest answer is more complicated because I cannot uncouple my listening from time and place and emotion. Critically, I can say this is really good, and has some standout tracks. However, I'll repeat this as much for my benefit as anything it is an excellent album.

At the time it was assumed that Larry Norman had produced the album, as on the jack it says "presented by Larry Norman" - later the band was able to provide credit to Mike Stone - yes, that Mike Stone who produced the album with the band. 

As it turns out the instructions for playing the album were perfect: "Allow hi-fi needle to orbit grooved musical saucer at maximum decibel level."

This was the start of a long and expensive journey ...

I'd end up getting this again on CD and then yet again on CD when the band put out a five (count 'em) FIVE CD deluxe edition. 

Did I mention I still think it's an excellent album?

* back in 1981 my dad thought it would be a good idea for me to clean the exterior windows on the house. So on a nice sunny day I opened my bedroom room window in the basement and fished out my speakers and set them up on the front lawn pointed toward the house. I had the ladder and the bucket of soapy water and my squeegee and just needed my tunes. I couldn't quite get my old stereo to 10, but around the 8 mark it was loud and relatively clear - so I did that. I think I played the album through a couple of times doing the front of the house. My favourite part of the album was when the feedback section on "Horrendous Disc" started, and when it was blaring it was amazing. I don't think the neighbours appreciated it as much as I did. When dad got home I could hear someone at the door talking to him, "It was a little loud Dan, don't you think?"